[78] Albert Babeau， "La Ville，" p.26. (Cf. note on preceding page.)The Collector's Office at Reteil， in 1746， is sold at one hundred and fifty thousand livres； it brings in from eleven thousand to fourteen thousand livres. - The purchaser， besides， has to pay to the State the "right of the golden marc" (a tax on the transfer of property)； in 1762， this right amounted to nine hundred and forty livres for the post of Councillor to the bailiwick of Troyes. D'Esprémenil， councillor in the Paris Parliament， had paid fifty thousand livres for his place， besides ten thousand livres taxation of the "golden marc."[79] Emile Bos， "Les Avocats au conseil du Roi，" p.340. Master Peruot， procureur， was seated on the balcony of the Theatre Fran？ais when Count Moreton Chabrillant arrives and wants his place. The procureur resists and the count calls the guard， who leads him off to prison. Master Peruot enters a complaint； there is a trial， intervention of the friends of M. de Chabrillant before the garde des sceaux， petitions of the nobles and resistance of the entire guild of advocates and procureurs. M. de Chabrillant， senior， offers Peruot forty thousand livres to withdraw his suit， which Peruot refuses to do. Finally， the Count de Chabrillant is condemned， with six thousand livres damages， (which are given to the poor and to prisoners)， as well as to the expense of printing two hundred impressions of the verdict. - Duport de Cheverney， " Mémoires，" (unpublished)， communicated by M. Robert de Crevecceur： "Formerly a man paid fifty thousand livres for an office with only three hundred livres income；the consideration， however， he enjoyed through it， and the certainty of remaining in it for life， compensated him for the sacrifice， while the longer he kept it， the greater was the influence of himself and children."[80] Albert Babeau， " La Ville，" p. 27； - "Histoire de Troyes，" p.
21. - This portrait is drawn according to recollections of childhood and family narrations. I happen to have known the details of two or three small provincial towns， one of about six thousand inhabitants where， before 1800， nearly all the notables， forty families， were relations； to-day all are scattered. The more one studies documents， the more does Montesquieu's definition of the incentive of society under the ancient régime seem profound and just， this incentive consisting of honor. In the bourgeoisie who were confounded with the nobility， namely the Parliamentarians， their functions were nearly gratuitous； the magistrate received his pay in deference. (Moniteur， V.， 520. Session of August 30， 1790， speech by d'Espremenil.) "Here is what it cost a Councillor； I take myself as an example. He paid fifty thousand livres for his place， and ten thousand more for the tax of the 'marc d'or.' He received three hundred and eighty-nine livres ten sous salary， from which three hundred and sixty-seven livres 'capitation' had to be deducted. The King allowed us forty-five livres for extra service of 'La Tournelle'. How about the fees？ is asked. The (grande chambre) superior court， asserted to have received the largest amount， was composed of one hundred and eighty members；the fees amounted to two hundred and fifty thousand livres， which were not a burden on the nation， but on the litigants. M. Thouret， who practiced in the Rouen parliament， will bear witness to this. Iappeal to him to say conscientiously what sum a Councillor derived from his office - not five hundred livres . . . When a judgment cost the litigant nine hundred livres the King's portion was six hundred Iivres . . . To sum up， the profits of an office were seven livres ten sous."[81] Albert Babeau， "La Ville，" ch. II.， and "Histoire de Troyes，"I.， ch. 1. At Troyes， fifty merchants， notables， elected the judge-consul and two consuls； the merchants' guild possessed its own hall and had its own meetings. At Paris， the drapers， mercers， grocers， furriers， hatters and jewelers formed the six bodies of merchants.
The merchants' guild everywhere took precedence of other industrial communities and enjoyed special privileges. "The merchants，" says Loyseau， "hold rank (qualité d'honneur)， being styled honorable men， honest persons and bourgeois of the towns， qualifications not attributed to husbandmen， nor to sergeants， nor to artisans， nor to manual laborers." - On paternal authority and domestic discipline in these old bourgeois families see the History of Beaumarchais and his father. (" Beaumarchais，" by M. de Lomenie， vol. I.)[82] Albert Babeau， "Le village sous l'Ancien Régime，" p. 56， ch.
III and IV.， (on the village syndics)， and pp. 357 and 359. " The peasants had the right to deliberate on their own affairs directly and to elect their principal agents. They understood their own needs， were able to make a sacrifice for school and church . . . . for repairs of the town clock and the belfry. They appointed their own agents and generally elected the most capable." - Ibid， "La Ville sous 1'Ancien Regime，" p.29. The artisans' guilds numbered at Paris one hundred and twenty-four. at Amiens sixty-four， and at Troyes fifty， also Chalons-sur-Marne， at Angers twenty-seven. The edicts of 1776reduced them to forty-four at Paris， and to twenty as the maximum for the principal towns within the jurisdiction of the Paris parliament.